Otto's Madeira travelogue

[Otto_Forsberg]

Madeira has been on my bucket list for quite some time now and finally, last August-September, we managed to visit the island. We spent a nice week there and I managed to taste some 70-ish wines during the visit. I thought maybe these notes would be of some interest - and of course comments from people who have visited the island are welcomed, too!

We stayed at a lovely hotel that was located pretty much at the center of Funchal, basically right next door to Oliveiras! Nothing to complain there. The weather, too, was pretty much perfect - even when the top parts of the island were cloudy or even rainy, Funchal remained dry (yet moderately humid) throughout the week and although it wasn’t sunny all the time, we still had lots of sun and the temperatures were just very pleasant from midday to midnight, hovering between 15 and 25 degrees Celsius (60 to 75 Fahrenheit).

Day 1:

Arriving to Madeira - there’s the airstrip we’re about to land!

After we had dropped our baggages at our hotel, we headed for Madeira Wine Company / Blandy’s Wine Lodge. There we took a tour around the oldest parts of the winery, finishing off with a small tasting of two MWC Madeiras.

The Madeira Wine Company tasting room:

Some older casks laying on the canteiros at the lowest and coolest levels of the adega, ie. at the ground level. What surprised us was how even here the temperature was surprisingly high, ie. more or less at the room temperature. These older casks also still had lot numbers according to the old Madeirense system, but I can’t remember the logic behind it (the system was used to keep the vintages of the wines as a secret in the case pirates managed to get their hands on casks of Madeira). Nowadays they do mark the vintages and as well, mind you.

This little cavernous part was the coolest part of the adega used for the oldest unbottled lots at MWC. The wines that could be still aged further, were kept in smaller oak casks, whereas those bottles who were as ready as they’ll ever be, were kept in demijohns, waiting to be bottled:

This is how the canteiros higher up looked like. There were three or four stories and both the temperature and the humidity went up with the elevation. It was starting to feel a little bit like a steam room already at the second floor!

The temperature was at around 29°C (85°F) and the humidity 67% in the upper parts of the canteiro system:

This is how it looked at the top floor of the canteiro system. It was getting so hot and humid there that it wasn’t really that comfortable for a Finn to be there!

We were also told us that contrary to what one would think, it is actually more expensive to have the centuries-old adega than to tear it down and build a new winery! Just the upkeep alone is very expensive, as they try their best to keep it how it always has been, but that means constructing stuff like fire extinguishes, smoke detectors and other safety measures is very expensive. After I asked about small insect wings they seemed to have everywhere in the top floors, they told us how they also had problems with termites, which exacerbates the upkeep trouble and increases costs:

When we asked about the small holes they had in the floors, we were told that they try to move the wine without any mechanical means, if possible. As moving the barrels around the cramped adega, the wines are moved with pumps and hoses from one floor (and cask) to another, mainly with the help of gravity:

For the last portion of the tour, we got to see the small library cellar of MWC, where they kept their oldest bottles. There were probably a few hundred of bottles left (mainly from the early 1900’s to mid-1850’s) and these were the oldest bottles there - a few early 1800’s Soleras (don’t have any idea when they were bottled) and two bottles from the 1700’s:

Then, finally, a tasting of two Madeiras:

• NV Blandy's Madeira Malmsey 10 Years Old - Portugal, Madeira (30.8.2022)
  100% Malvasia São Jorge. The grapes are first macerated with the skins, after which the fermentation starts in temperature controlled tanks. After 48 hours of fermentation, the must is rectified to approx. 20% ABV with 96% ABV grape spirit to halt the fermentation. The fortified wine is transferred to old oak casks which are moved to age in Canteiros, ie. in warm warehouses in which the wines age in casks that are never topped up. This wine is an indicative blend of multiple vintages, older and younger, with the aim of recreating a wine that has been aged for approximately 10 years in casks. 19% alcohol, 123 g/l residual sugar and approx. 6,5 g/l acidity.
  
  Clear and quite pale nutty-brown color - looks somewhat lighter than what I remembered. Sweet, oxidative aromas of caramel and maple syrup, some perfumed notes of dried flowers, a little bit of treacle, light smoky nuances, a hint of nutty rancio, a touch of dried figs and a whiff of cappuccino. The wine feels sweet and oily but also relatively fresh on the palate with a medium body and quite intense flavors of raisins and syrupy molasses, some oxidative notes of caramel, a little bit of dried figs, light pruney tones, a hint of nuttiness and a touch of Christmas spices. The alcohol lends a bit of warmth while the rather high acidity keeps the wine fresh and quite zippy. The finish is sweet, long and slightly syrupy with flavors of caramel, some raisiny tones, a little bit of burnt sugar bitterness, light notes of dried figs, a hint of floral lift and a touch of lemony tang.
  
  A lovely, tasty and harmonious Malmsey. Perhaps on the rich and syrupy end of the spectrum, rather than on the sweet-yet-brisk style of Malmsey where the sweetness is set off by the bracing acidity some Malmsey Madeiras can have. Definitely a dessert wine, but as is typical of the genre, the wine is wonderfully fresh, balanced and structured as well. Fine stuff.
  (90 points)


• 1999 Miles Madeira Tinta Negra - Portugal, Madeira (30.8.2022)
  100% Tinta Negra made with fruit sourced from vineyards in Câmara de Lobos, west from Funchal. After approximately 48 hours of fermentation, the must is rectified to approx. 20% ABV with 96% ABV grape spirit to halt the fermentation. The fortified wine is transferred to old oak casks which are moved to age in Canteiros, ie. in warm warehouses in which the wines age in casks that are never topped up. The wine is aged for 20 years, first in the warehouses of Madeira Wine Company in Funchal, then in cellars in Caniçal. 20% alcohol, 130 g/l residual sugar, 8,73 g/l acidity, VA 0,66 g/l and pH 3,27. Total production 1317 bottles, 19 magnums, 16 double magnums and two 18-liter Solomon bottles.
  
  Quite deep syrupy-brown color with a reddish hue. The nose feels somewhat restrained with brooding, sweet-toned aromas of raisins, some figgy tones, a little bit of dried dark fruits, light old woody tones and a hint of savory, earthy spice. The wine is sweet, silky smooth and somewhat concentrated on the palate with a moderately full body and intense flavors of syrupy richness counterpointed by modest burnt sugar bitterness, some sharp lemony tones, a little bit of dried figs and raisiny dark fruit, light peppery nuances, a sweet hint of cloudberry jam and a touch of bruised green apple. The rather brisk and racy acidity lends the wine great sense of freshness and structure. The finish is long, sweet and somewhat oxidative with flavors of savory spices and tart lemony citrus fruits, some caramel tones, a little bit of smoke, light syrupy nuances, a hint of tobacco and a touch of salted nuts.
  
  A bright, zippy and lively Frasqueira that might not be made with the noble varieties, yet shows great sense of freshness and harmony - which is something Tinta Negra does not always show. Although the wine might be lacking a bit in complexity - as it is a Tinta Negra and quite young for a Frasqueira - there's lots of stuffing here, ranging from complex fruity notes to sweet-yet-savory oxidative nuances and tart, acid-driven notes of lemons and green apples. Delightful and thoroughly enjoyable stuff.
  (92 points)

After the tour we grabbed a small bottle of Blandy’s Madeira from the lodge store to have something to sip on at the hotel. Then we went to a nearby restaurant, because it was high time to have something for a dinner - I had a seafood risotto. Not really up to Italian standards, but at least it drove the hunger away:

They didn’t have anything interesting to offer by the glass, so we just went for a half bottle of some random Douro Branco, which was the same stuff they had by the glass. Cue in disappointment.

• NV Castello de Numão Douro Branco - Portugal, Douro (30.8.2022)
  A blend of Viosinho, Gouveio and Moscatel Galego. From a half bottle that didn't seem to have any indication of vintage. 13% alcohol.
  
  Somewhat evolved pale golden yellow color. Sweet, fragrant and rather perfumed nose with aromas of exotic fruits, some musky floral tones typical of Muscat, a little bit of peach and a hint of guava. The wine is dry, medium-bodied and quite crisp on the palate. However, the taste is odd - the wine starts off as ripe, tropical and even somewhat sweetly-fruited, then suddenly turns into quite dull and musty, making me wonder if the wine is corked, then flavors of juicy peaches and some floral notes of Muscat emerge. Really odd. The wine is high in acidity, lending good sense of freshness and focus to the wine. The finish is dry and quite crisp with flavors of peach, some guava and other exotic fruits, a little bit of perfumed floral character and a dull hint of dusty earth.
  
  A simple, exotic and floral little white that suffered from some weird, musty notes that made me think at first that the wine was corked. However, the wine didn't seem to get worse with air and aromatically it was quite sound - normally TCA mutes the wine, but there wasn't really anything muted here. Just some weird, musty flavors on the midpalate. I guess this is just cheap wine made with third-grade fruit or something. A decent, but very forgettable effort. Wasn't expensive at just 12€ for a half bottle in a restaurant, but hard to say if it was really worth it.
  (79 points)

After the small dinner we just walked around for a bit before heading back to our hotel. Took a sip of the Blandy’s Madeira for a nightcap:

• NV Blandy's Madeira Sercial 5 Years Old - Portugal, Madeira (30.8.2022)
  100% Sercial made with purchased fruit sourced from vineyardsin Porto Moniz, Seixal and Câmara de Lobos. The grapes fermented spontaneously starts in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks. After 5-6 days of fermentation, the must is rectified to approx. 20% ABV with 96% ABV grape spirit to halt the fermentation. The fortified wine is transferred to old American oak casks which are moved to age in Canteiros, ie. in warm warehouses in which the wines age in casks that are never topped up. This wine is an indicative blend of multiple vintages, older and younger, with the aim of recreating a wine that has been aged for approximately 5 years in casks. Bottled fined and lightly filtered. 19% alcohol, approx. 50 g/l residual sugar and approx. 6 g/l acidity.
  
  Luminous golden yellow color with a nutty-brown hue. The nose is somewhat oxidative with aromas of chopped walnuts, some bruised Granny Smith apple, a little bit of lemony citrus fruits, light grain whisky tones, a hint of caramel and a sharp touch of rancio. The wine is relatively mellow and gentle for a Sercial with some alcohol warmth, a medium body and medium-sweet flavors of orange, some oxidative notes of caramel and nutty rancio, a little bit of lemony citrus fruit, light bruised apple tones and a sweeter hint of dried fruits. Bright high acidity. The overall feel is harmonious, but also quite linear for a Madeira. The finish is quite long with medium-dry flavors of lemony citrus fruits, some caramel, a little bit of nutty rancio and roasted walnuts, light sharp notes of green apples, a hint of orange and a touch of bruised apple.
  
  An enjoyably fresh and complex but also a bit linear and mellow Sercial. Several sources say that the sweeter varieties work much better with younger Madeiras and drier styles (Sercial, Verdelho, Terrantez) start to really shine only with age (ie. +20 yo blends and Frasqueiras). The more I taste these younger Madeiras, the more I agree - while I do enjoy the freshness and zip Sercials normally show, these young wines come across as more linear and somewhat simple than the sweeter versions, which pack a bit more complexity already in their youth. Especially Sercial seems to develop more complexity only as it becomes more concentrated with extended aging. This was pretty lovely, but nothing special enough to make me seek it out specifically - at this age level (ie. price point) I'd go for the sweeter styles; if I wanted a Sercial, I'd pick something with more age. And do note that the wine does not develop any further in the bottle, so any further cellaring won't improve the wine from here - although the wine won't suffer from any cellaring either. Drink or keep. Priced according to its quality at 9,35€ for a half bottle.
  (88 points)

Posted from CellarTracker

[CJ_Beazley]

There was an article in Bloomberg recently about Madeira, it was intriguing-
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-09-30/madeira-travel-guide-a-lush-ecosystem-adventure-wine-make-it-ripe-for-a-visit

[Otto_Forsberg]

Frankly, the history of Madeira Wine Company / Blandy’s is quite a confusing - and fascinating - one. These tidbits are from Liddell’s Madeira:

The Blandy family were originally not just Madeira shippers, but actually merchants and general traders operating different businesses (including shipping, banking, travel agency, etc.), beginning already in the early 1800’s. The wine business just slowly grew to be more important than the others. Blandy’s actually owned the famous Reid’s hotel until 1996.

In 1925 Blandy’s, Leacock & Co and Thomas Mullins joined together, forming a new company named Madeira Wine Association. The wine stocks of Blandy’s and Leacock’s were merged and Mullins operated as the director of the company. Little by little other producers joined Madeira Wine Association and eventually all the British Madeira shippers and several Portuguese shippers had joined the company.

MWA operated as a one single company and all the shippers ceased to be trading entities, instead becoming established brand names for the MWA lineup. All the wine stocks from the joining Madeira shippers were merged with MWA’s own and the shippers gained a share from the company.

By the 1950’s this had become a problem, as all the wines were produced from one single stock, but there were dozens and dozens of different company brand names, for all which all the different blends were supposed to be made, and on the perceived style of the original shipper. This was getting a task too arduous for MWA’s winemaker. What’s even more bewildering was that all the different brands acted as if they were still operating as seperate shippers, even if all the wines were made at the MWA premises.

After the 1974 revolution, most of the old shareholders left and eventually there were just a few left, Blandys and Leacocks remaining as the main equal shareholders. Blandy’s wanted to invest in the firm, whereas Leacocks were very hesitant during those tumultuous times and they did not. Finally, in the early 1980’s, Blandy’s ultimately acquired the Leacocks share of the company and could start making necessary changes.

It was also in the early 1980’s - in 1981 - when the name was changed from Madeira Wine Association to Madeira Wine Company - a name under which it still operates today - and the amount of brands with which they worked with were reduced to nine. Yet even then, making all the blends for all the different company brands was a dreary task.

In the late 1980’s Blandy’s had to look outside of Madeira for investors. During that time large companies were acquiring smaller wineries, but Blandy’s were very proud of their heritage and not looking a way to sell out. Thus, in 1988, Symington’s (of Port wine trade) became shareholders in MWC, taking a controlling interest in the firm. The Symigntons were quite shocked at the level of winemaking and viticulture at the island and immediately started modernizing things. The brand names were cut down to just four: Blandy’s, Leacock, Cossart Gordon and Miles - the ones with which MWC still operates today.

However, Port remained as a main focus for the Symignton family and they started to see Madeira as more of a distraction, which is why in 2011 they sold a majority of their shares back to Blandy’s, retaining just 10% of the company’s stock, enabling MWC to have access to Symington’s distribution network. At the moment MWC is basically a family company owned by the Blandys, which is the main reason why the difference between MWC and Blandy’s Madeira is a bit nebulous.

Today a large portion of their stock is at the historical São Francisco lodge (621,000 litres, virtually all in wood casks), where also their visitor center operates. The company operated at this lodge until 1961, but today the main operational center is located nearby, almost next to the Oliveiras lodge, where the company offices and main winery are located. Here the capacity is around 1,500,000 liters in concrete tanks, 1,500,000 in oak casks and 600,000 liters in stainless steel. Still a few decades ago MWC was Madeira’s largest producer, but today Justino’s is the largest one, MWC coming in at second place.

[Herwig_Janssen]

Awesome report Otto !

[Otto_Forsberg]

@Herwig_Janssen

Awsome report Otto !

And this was only the day 1!

[Eric_Ifune]

Nice. Looking forward to the rest.
I generally pick restaurants on Madeira with one eye on the wine list. Otherwise, I drink Coral Beer. Better than Sagres or Super Bock IMO.
In the MWC tasting room, you can get wine by the glass. Some older versions as well.

[Julian_Marshall]

Great report, Otto! I used to visit Madeira a lot when I worked in tourism. Sadly I never had the time to do proper winery visits and your report has made me wish that I had.

Madeira is especially popular as an alternative to Tenerife, etc as a winter destination, since the weather stays warm most of the winter, although there is a reason why it is all so green!

I hope your landing was trouble-free! Crosswinds can be really bad and at times, they only allow experienced pilots to fly there. I had quite a few “interesting” landings. I also hope you admired the two “tasteful” statues of Cristiano Ronaldo at the airport and in the centre of Funchal!

I look forward to the next chapter!

[Otto_Forsberg]

Day 2:

We started off the day by going on a dolphin safari. These things are quite popular there, as the waters around Madeira are known to host over two dozen species of cetaceans, like the common dolphin, the spotted dolphin, the bottlenose dolphin and the sperm whale.

In Madeira these marine safaris are quite controlled: these safari firms can operate on a license only; just two boats or ships at a time can approach whales or a school of dolphins, and if there are more boats present, the others have to wait for their turn - whoever gets there first, gets to be there first; one ship is allowed to remain for 10 minutes with the dolphins, after which they have to leave; a ship can approach a whale or a school of dolphins, but if they decide to leave, they are not to be followed. There are rangers supervising the safari ships at all times and if they are witnessed to breach the rules, their license can be revoked.

For the first hour or so, I thought we had just a bad day for dolphin spotting and were not going to see any, so I decided to just enjoy the views over Madeira, which were quite stunning from the sea. For example here you can see Cabo Girão, which at 589 metres (1,932 ft) is the highest seaside cliff in Europe and supposedly the second highest in the world:

However, suddenly the ship spotter managed to spot a school of dolphins (he must’ve been doing constant scouting ceaselessly for an hour at that point!) and we took off instantly in their direction. A few minutes later we stopped nearby a school of spotted dolphins and instead of them speeding away, these creatures came to meet us and jump around our ship! Fantastic stuff.

After hanging around with the dolphins for that allotted 10 minutes, we started to head back to the Funchal port. However, on our way back, our spotter also saw a mother finback whale and her calf. Unfortunately we couldn’t get near them (or get any good photos), as all we managed saw were a huge water spout and then a smaller one close by, followed by two finned whale backs arching. This actually happened a few times - every 4-5 minutes - during the 15 minutes or so while we were sitting around nearby, waiting the whales to surface. If I learned something, whale breath smells quite nasty (we were downwind from the spouts and after a little while the whale had surfaced, a horrible, dead marine stench passed us by)!

Here we are returning to the Funchal marina. It’s crazy how high up in the mountains Funchal and its suburbs really extend:

After the dolphin safari, we went for lunch - I had a refreshing cup of gazpacho:

We also checked out the museum of photography nearby and then had some seriously tasty espressos afterwards:

And then we went for the second winery visit of our trip! To Borges (I learned this is basically pronounced as borsh, just with a long ‘o’), which was just a few blocks away from our hotel!

First we booked a tour around the winery, then we had a tasting of multiple wines. Here’s a humongous tronconic vat made of Brazilian satinwood and used for the cheapest 3 yo Madeiras - once a batch of Tinta Negra has been cooked for enough time in estufas, it is blended one of these vats, which hold 24-25,000 liters of wine each:

All the noble varieties (Sercial, Verdelho, Terrantez, Boal and Malvasia) are aged in casks and later on either blended into age-designated blends (10 yo, 15 yo, 20 yo and older) or bottled without any blending as either Colheitas or, in the case of exceptional wines, as Frasqueiras. That huge concrete drum in the background is an estufa, a “sauna” for heating up and cooking Tinta Negra wines that are blended into the cheaper blends. One estufa holds about 35,000 liters of wine:

After the tour we had a nice sample of different Borges wines:

• NV H.M. Borges Madeira 3 Years Old Dry - Portugal, Madeira (31.8.2022)
  Labeled only as "H.M. Borges Dry Madeira Wine", but is actually their 3 Years Old blend, as shown in their website. The wine is made with purchased Tinta Negra grapes that are first fermented and then, after two days of fermentation, fortified to approx. 20% ABV. The fortified wine is then fined, filtered and aged for a minimum of 90 days in epoxy-lined concrete estufas in which the wine is heated artificially to temperatures ranging from 40 to 45°C (104 to 113 °F). After the estufagem process, the wine is blended into large satinwood vats and stainless steel tanks. The wine is blended from different vats, resulting in a wine that is on average 3 years old. 18% alcohol, 55 g/l residual sugar and 6,0 g/l acidity.
  
  Deep, somewhat translucent syrupy-brown color with a reddish hue. The nose feels dull, dusty and somewhat stewed with slightly disagreeable aromas of musty old wood, some peanut skin, a little bit of dry leather, light earthy notes and a sweet hint of stewed red fruits. The wine feels somewhat dull on the palate with a medium-to-moderately full body and medium-dry to medium-sweet flavors of chopped nuts, pouch tobacco, some decomposing wood tones, a little bit of syrupy richness, light earthy tones, sweet hints of raisins and stewed dark fruits and a touch of of peanut skin. The wine is medium-to-moderately high in acidity - high enough to keep the wine in balance, but not high enough to lend the wine zippy freshness typical of Madeira. The finish is aged, long and rather oxidative with medium-dry flavors of chopped nuts, some earth, light malty tones, a little bit of raisin, a hint of pouch tobacco and a touch of stewed red fruits.
  
  Although I enjoy Borges Madeiras a lot, this wine was a very disappointing effort. It lacked the intensity and complexity of great Madeiras, coming across just as dull, soft and rather stewed - which seems to be quite typical of inexpensive wines aged in estufas. Although this is one step above cooking Madeira, I feel this wine is really suitable just for cooking purposes. I'm not saying it is undrinkable, because it's a perfectly fine cheap Madeira - it just doesn't have anything I look for in a Madeira. I guess the wine is priced according to its quality at 4,50€ for a full 0,75-liter bottle.
  (72 points)


• NV H.M. Borges Madeira Sercial 15 Years Old - Portugal, Madeira (31.8.2022)
  The wine is made with purchased Sercial grapes from Jardim da Serra. The grapes are briefly macerated with the skins. After 5-6 days of fermentation, the must is rectified to approx. 20% ABV with 96% ABV grape spirit to halt the fermentation. The fortified wine is transferred to old 650-liter oak casks which are moved to age in Canteiros, ie. in warm warehouses in which the wines age in casks that are never topped up. This wine is an indicative blend of multiple vintages, older and younger, with the aim of recreating a wine that has been aged for approximately 15 years in casks. 19% alcohol, 53 g/l residual sugar and 7,6 g/l acidity.
  
  Pale golden-yellow color with an amber core. Nuanced, somewhat oxidative nose with aromas of caramel, some evolved smoky tones, a little bit of vanilla custard, light juicy notes of tangerine, a hint of marzipan and a touch of dried apricots. The wine feels medium dry to medium sweet on the palate with a medium body and intense flavors of caramel and syrupy treacle, some beeswax, light floral notes of dried flowers, a little bit of ripe tangerine and poached pear, aged hints of tobacco and old furniture and a touch of tangy salinity. The rather brisk and racy acidity makes the wine feel rather structured and lends great sense of intensity to the flavors. The finish is rich, subtly sweet and very intense with flavors of syrupy molasses and caramel, some burnt sugar bitterness, a little bit lemony citrus fruit, light smoky notes of cigar, a hint of bruised Granny Smith apple and a touch of dried apricot.
  
  A wonderfully fresh, zippy and nuanced Sercial that sits firmly between the 10 Years Old blend and a young Frasqueira wine. This feels a bit sweeter and more approachable than what I expected from a Sercial, but not really in a bad way - the wine is just lovely with its combination of tangy citric notes and syrupy richness. I guess the wine can feel quite rich if one is expecting a "dry" Sercial, but this is pretty darn terrific all the same. Terrific value at 24€.
  (91 points)


• 2005 H.M. Borges Madeira Tinta Negra Colheita - Portugal, Madeira (31.8.2022)
  The wine is made with purchased Tinta Negra grapes from Estreito de Câmara de Lobos. The grapes are first macerated with the skins, followed by a brief fermentation of a few days. The must is rectified to approx. 20% ABV with 96% ABV grape spirit to halt the fermentation, after which the fortified wine is transferred to old 650-liter French oak casks. The wine is aged in Canteiros, ie. in warm warehouses, in which the wines age in casks that are never topped up. 20% alcohol, 113 g/l residual sugar and 7,4 g/l acidity.
  
  Pale, slightly hazy coppery color. The nose feels somewhat restrained and even a bit dull with aromas of boozy alcohol, some nutty rancio, a little bit of vanilla cigar, light figgy tones, a hint of dried flowers and a touch of chopped walnuts. The wine is sweet, hot and evolved on the palate with a full body and rich flavors of raisins and nutty rancio, peppery spice, some earthy tones, a little bit of leather, light sweet notes of apple jam and maple syrup, a hint of lemony zip and a touch of cigar. The rather high acidity lends good sense of focus and structure to the wine. The finish is hot, long and sweet yet savory with flavors of peppery spice and acid-driven lemony citrus fruit, some raisiny tones, a little bit of dried dates, light nutty notes of rancio, a hint of cigar and a touch of burnt sugar bitterness.
  
  A quite balanced but unfortunately somewhat unfocused Colheita that is lacking in depth and complexity to some degree. The balance between the body, the sweetness and the acidity is spot on here, but the fruit and other flavors seem a bit dull, lacking in freshness and brightness - a quality which becomes even more apparent when tasting 2005 Borges Boal Colheita alongside this wine. This is a thoroughly drinkable wine and definitely a curiosity, as a single-harvest Tinta Negra - a variety that normally disappears in generic Madeira blends - but I must confess this wine did leave me a bit cold. Nothing too bad, but definitely nothing special to write home about. I hope the 2013 vintage will be better. Feels a bit pricey at 20€ for a half-liter bottle, but not prohibitively so.
  (83 points)


• 2005 H.M. Borges Madeira Boal Colheita - Portugal, Madeira (31.8.2022)
  The wine is made with purchased Boal that are briefly macerated with the skins. After 3-4 days of fermentation, the must is rectified to approx. 20% ABV with 96% ABV grape spirit to halt the fermentation. The fortified wine is transferred to old 650-liter oak casks which are moved to age in Canteiros, ie. in warm warehouses in which the wines age in casks that are never topped up. 20% alcohol, 87,3 g/l residual sugar and 7,5 g/l acidity.
  
  Medium-deep coppery color. Sweetish, nuanced nose with seductive aromas of raisins and black treacle, some apple jam, light dried-fruit notes of raisins and dried figs, a little bit of Christmas spices, a hint of oak smoke, a touch of something resinous and a whiff of bitter almond oil. Lovely! The wine feels rich, oily and very intense on the palate with a moderately full body and sweet flavors of syrupy treacle and raisins, some tangy lemony tones, a little bit of bruised apple, light caramel tones, a hint of oxidative nuttiness and a touch of dried dates. The bright, zippy acidity lends great sense of structure and freshness to the wine. The finish is sweet, brisk and moderately concentrated with a very long aftertaste of apple jam, some maple syrup, a little bit of burnt sugar bitterness, light lemony notes of tart citrus fruits, a hint of oak smoke and a touch of tangy salinity.
  
  A superb Colheita Madeira that is quite close to a young Garrafeira in quality. A great combination of concentrated, oxidative fruit character, syrupy sweetness and brisk, lemony acidity that wonderfully offsets most of the sweetness from the residual sugar without really negating any of that resulting richness. Tasting this alongside 2005 Borges Tinta Negra Colheita, this was simply miles and miles better. An excellent purchase at 22€ for a half-liter bottle.
  (92 points)


• 1993 H.M. Borges Madeira Verdelho - Portugal, Madeira (31.8.2022)
  The wine is made with purchased Verdelho from Estreito de Câmara de Lobos. After 4-5 days of fermentation, the must is rectified to approx. 20% ABV with 96% ABV grape spirit to halt the fermentation. The fortified wine is transferred to old 650-liter oak casks which are moved to age in Canteiros, ie. in warm warehouses in which the wines age in casks that are never topped up. 20% alcohol, 73 g/l residual sugar and 8,9 g/l acidity.
  
  Somewhat deep coppery color that turns to luminous amber toward the rim. The wine has an attractive, fine-tuned nose with aromas of smoke, restrained nutty notes, some autumnal notes of leaves, a little bit of tropical fruit, light raisiny tones, sweeter hints of lime marmalade and cooked red fruits, a creamy touch of custard and a whiff of marzipan. The wine is ridiculously crisp, racy and intense on the palate with a medium body and concentrated, medium-dry to medium-sweet flavors of lemony citrus fruits and ripe Granny Smith apple, some key lime marmalade tones, a little bit of sweet cigar smoke, light oxidative notes of caramel, subtly bitter hints of apple peel and pithy grapefruit and a touch of passion fruit. The bracing acidity lends tremendous sense of structure and intensity to the wine. The finish is long, racy and very complex with intense, subtly sweet flavors of syrupy molasses and burnt sugar bitterness, some lemony citrus fruits, a little bit of bruised Granny Smith apple, light autumnal notes of damp leaves, a hint of nutty rancio and a touch of pithy grapefruit.
  
  A fantastic, immensely complex and remarkably intense Frasqueira Madeira with exceptional freshness, thanks to its incisive acidity and balanced bitterness that effortlessly offset most of the sweetness, making the wine feel much drier than it technically is. So much to love here. Superb stuff. Not particularly affordable at 120€, but I'd argue that the wine still delivers for the price. Highly recommended.
  (94 points)


• NV H.M. Borges Madeira Malvasia 20 Years Old - Portugal, Madeira (31.8.2022)
  The wine is made with purchased Malvasia São Jorge grapes from São Jorge. The grapes are briefly macerated with the skins. After a few days of fermentation, the must is rectified to approx. 20% ABV with 96% ABV grape spirit to halt the fermentation. The fortified wine is transferred to old 650-liter French and American oak casks which are moved to age in Canteiros, ie. in warm warehouses in which the wines age in casks that are never topped up. This wine is an indicative blend of multiple vintages, older and younger, with the aim of recreating a wine that has been aged for approximately 20 years in casks. 20% alcohol, 124 g/l residual sugar and 8,2 g/l acidity.
  
  Quite deep and dark syrupy-brown color. Bold yet still somewhat shy nose with rich aromas of syrupy molasses and dried dark fruits, some raisiny tones, a little bit of caramel, light fragrant notes of dried flowers and Christmas spices, a hint of leather and a touch of anise. The wine feels firm, powerful and concentrated on the palate with a full body and intense, very sweet flavors of lemony citrus fruits and apple jam, peppery spice, some perfumed notes of dried flowers, a little bit of key lime, light notes of smoke and pipe tobacco, hints of prunes and raisins and a tangy, saline touch of nutty rancio. The wine is quite bold and voluminous, yet it doesn't come across as heavy or sticky, thanks to the bright, zippy acidity. The finish is rich, sweet and powerful with intense flavors of syrupy molasses and dried dates, some raisiny tones, a little bit of apple jam, light nutty notes of rancio, a hint of tobacco and a touch of saline tang.
  
  An exquisite, powerful and harmonious Madeira with lots of body, sweetness and intensity - but at the same time it manages to come across as bright, fresh and zippy, all thanks to the very focused, lemony acidity. Outstanding wine that can hold a candle to any young Frasqueira Malvasia - but at a much reasonable cost! At just 40€, this is a find. Highly recommended.
  (93 points)

Posted from CellarTracker

[Robert.A.Jr]

Wow what a thread!

Otto, hide somewhere behind a barrel, sneak in after-hours to get some of that 1700s! You’d become #Legend here.

Back in the day, we could still get pre-Civil War Madeira at Bern’s, but those days are long gone. Was always such an amazing treat.

Will you get a chance to taste really mature stuff?

[Otto_Forsberg]

And again, some data from Liddell’s Madeira:

Henrique Menezes Borges founded his eponymous company in 1877. He began as a partidista ie. a middleman, who works with the small growers, buys grapes and wine from them, vinifies purchased grapes, ages wine in their own premises and sells finished wine to shippers who can bottle or sell the wines under their own name.

The company was renamed to H. M. Borges, Sucessors, Lda in 1916, when Henrique Menezes Borges died. After his father’s death, Maria da Conceição, the founder’s daughter, married João Henriques Gonçalves, whose own Madeira company was subsequently merged with Borges in 1926. Not soon after, in 1932, Gonçalves bought the company from Maria and his two brothers.

After Jõao’s death the company was managed by Jorge and Fernando Gonçalves, sons of João and Maria. Since 2011, Borges has been run and owned by the fourth generation of the family, Jorge’s daughter isabel Borges Gonçalves and Fernando’s daughter Helena Borges Fontes.

The winery is located right at the heart of Funchal - it used to be the biggest and tallest building around, but nowadays it is surrounded by larger, more modern buildings. They own no other premises, so everything - vinification, wine aging, management and even cellar door for tourists - happens right there. Most of the wines are aged in stainless steel tanks, which can hold a total of around 100,000 liters - although the wines destined for traditional cask aging in canteiros are already fermented in casks. In a typical year Borges buys around 200,000 kg of fruit and produces around 160,000 liters of wine. At the moment the sole focus of Borges is quality Madeira - they do not produce any unfortified still wines nor do they produce bulk cooking Madeira. Their main produce is 3-yo Tinta Negra and they bottle very few Frasqueiras, but they have a vast selection of high-quality blended wines made with the noble varieties, ranging from 10-yo to the exceptional (and expensive) 40-yo rarities.

Currently the style of Borges Madeira is marked by the use of continuous press, which allows for skins and even seeds and stalks to remain in contact with the wine. This yields wines that might not be as delicate or elegant as some, but lends robustness, character and good aging potential to the wines. However, only the sweeter wines (Boal, Malvasia and some Tinta Negras) see true skin maceration, whereas wines made in a drier style (Sercial, Verdelho, some Tinta Negras) are made with only the press juice. The wines are fermented in relatively warm temperatures (28–30ºC / 82–86ºF), which might make the younger wines less fruity and expressive, but also results in more firmness, extraction and aging potential.

The fortified Tinta Negra wines are filtered before they are heated in estufagem, as they believe heating the unfiltered wines results in more off aromas and development of VA. The wines are heated up and kept for 90 days at temperatures between 40ºC and 45ºC (104ºF and 113ºF) in the huge concrete estufas.

Interestingly, Borges is today the only Madeira producer who is managed by women!

When it comes to exceptional value, Borges’s 15 years olds are in a category of their own! At just 24€ each (all Sercial, Verdelho, Boal and Malvasia) they are very affordable, but all excellent in quality - more or less at the level of some of the youngest Frasqueiras, which usually cost 2-3 as much. I really can’t give enough praise to these fantastic wines!

[Otto_Forsberg]

@Eric_Ifune

I generally pick restaurants on Madeira with one eye on the wine list.

The problem is that most of the restaurants don’t have reasonable websites nor even wine lists outside the restaurant! You get to see what they have only once you’re already sitting at the table…

When you’re hungry and you want to get something from a place nearby, you really don’t start to browse which restaurants might have online wine lists!

@Eric_Ifune

In the MWC tasting room, you can get wine by the glass. Some older versions as well.

I noticed, but most were getting quite prohibitively expensive. And having tasted some older Blandy’s Madeiras in the past, I didn’t feel like I was going to miss anything special.

@Julian_Marshall

I hope your landing was trouble-free! Crosswinds can be really bad and at times, they only allow experienced pilots to fly there. I had quite a few “interesting” landings. I also hope you admired the two “tasteful” statues of Cristiano Ronaldo at the airport and in the centre of Funchal!

Indeed it was! The takeoff, too. I talked with some young people from one winery about the airport, they said there were some problems with landings and takeoffs basically several times a week.

And so it happens that I missed out the Ronaldo statues! After all, my interest in anything sports-related is on the negative side of the spectrum, so this was something to be expected.

@Robert.A.Jr

Will you get a chance to taste really mature stuff?

I will get back to this quite soon!

[Tomas_Costa]

Phenomenal thread @Otto_Forsberg! Just two tiny language related corrections: ‘boorsh’ is not an accurate phonetic representation of ‘Borges’, assuming one should interpret that ‘oo’ as in English. The ‘o’ vowel here, in standard European Portuguese (which is traditionally said to be that of the Coimbra-Lisbon axis, for lack of a better or more accurate definition) is an open-mid back rounded vowel. I can’t vouch for how exactly it is spoken in Madeira’s rather wild and exotic accent(s), even though I have many Madeirense friends and acquaintances.

In the words ‘estufa’ or ‘estufagem’, ‘es’ is a voiceless postalveolar fricative (shtu-fa). In fact this is the case in all Portuguese words beginning with ‘es’ or ‘ex’. For that reason I found it unusual that you used the ‘an’ article before these words, as it implies an audible ‘e’ vowel - which in the case of Brazilian Portuguese, or at least many of its spoken varieties, would admittedly exist. There are two lines of thought, though not necessarily antagonistic ones, as to why Brazilian Portuguese has preserved what is, in many cases, a more accurate phonetic rendering of the written language. One belongs to the wider idea that New World representatives of Old World languages have preserved older aspects of these languages, aspects which dissipated and transformed through further development back in Europe; the other is that Brazilian Portuguese is essentially the product of a rapid and intensive spread of the Portuguese language in the then Portuguese colony after the Jesuits were expelled from Portugal by the Marquês de Pombal in the second half of the 18th century, thus dooming to extinction the ‘lingua geral’, a sort of Brazilian lingua franca devised by Jesuit missionaries from the native tupi language. The Portuguese language which then affirmed itself throughout Brazil was therefore very much the product of native and African phonetics. Since European and Brazilian Portuguese both have standardized, ‘accepted’ versions of the language, you could conceivably pronounce ‘estufagem’ the Brazilian way, which would make the use of the ‘an’ article logical.

[ChrisJames]

@Otto_Forsberg

whale breath smells quite nasty (we were downwind from the spouts and after a little while the whale had surfaced, a horrible, dead marine stench passed us by)!

I can’t wait to see you use “whale breath” in an upcoming tasting note!

[Otto_Forsberg]

@Tomas_Costa

Phenomenal thread @Otto_Forsberg! Just two tiny language related corrections: ‘boorsh’ is not an accurate phonetic representation of ‘Borges’, assuming one should interpret that ‘oo’ as in English. The ‘o’ vowel here, in standard European Portuguese (which is traditionally said to be that of the Coimbra-Lisbon axis, for lack of a better or more accurate definition) is an open-mid back rounded vowel. I can’t vouch for how exactly it is spoken in Madeira’s rather wild and exotic accent(s), even though I have many Madeirense friends and acquaintances.

In the words ‘estufa’ or ‘estufagem’, ‘es’ is a voiceless postalveolar fricative (shtu-fa). In fact this is the case in all Portuguese words beginning with ‘es’ or ‘ex’. For that reason I found it unusual that you used the ‘an’ article before these words, as it implies an audible ‘e’ vowel - which in the case of Brazilian Portuguese, or at least many of its spoken varieties, would admittedly exist. There are two lines of thought, though not necessarily antagonistic ones, as to why Brazilian Portuguese has preserved what is, in many cases, a more accurate phonetic rendering of the written language. One belongs to the wider idea that New World representatives of Old World languages have preserved older aspects of these languages, aspects which dissipated and transformed through further development back in Europe; the other is that Brazilian Portuguese is essentially the product of a rapid and intensive spread of the Portuguese language in the then Portuguese colony after the Jesuits were expelled from Portugal by the Marquês de Pombal in the second half of the 18th century, thus dooming to extinction the ‘lingua geral’, a sort of Brazilian lingua franca devised by Jesuit missionaries from the native tupi language. The Portuguese language which then affirmed itself throughout Brazil was therefore very much the product of native and African phonetics. Since European and Brazilian Portuguese both have standardized, ‘accepted’ versions of the language, you could conceivably pronounce ‘estufagem’ the Brazilian way, which would make the use of the ‘an’ article logical.

Excellent points, both of them!

Regarding the first one, I just went automatically how a Finnish would write it - our ‘o’ is the same as in European Portuguese, whereas in English it becomes something entirely different (and wrong). I guess bohrsh would get it wrong too, as it implies a diphthong - and isn’t any! Probably the most accurate would be bo:rsh, but I don’t know if laymen would “get” that kind of IPA-ish writing system. Anyways, I guess I should edit the pronunciation guide into a more correct form!

And yes, I actually am aware how estufa and estufagem are pronounced, but once again, I’ve been writing on an autopilot - ie. just thinking how these words are written, not actually reading stuff out loud (in my mind) while writing. I accidentally do these things with certain words starting with ‘y’ and ‘u’ in English as well - while these two are vowels, in English they can start with a consonant sound and it’s hard to remember these kinds of things because in Finnish there’s no way you could think those in any other way than as vowels. After all, in Finnish language, all letters are always pronounced and basically always the same way, so we don’t have to think about “silent h’s”, extra duplications or sudden omissions!

Anyways, I’ll try my best to keep in mind one should think of estufagem as a word beginning with a consonant, but until then you all should just think of these words I’ve written as words pronounced in the Brazilian way.

[Mikko_Tuomi]

@Otto_Forsberg

After all, in Finnish language, all letters are always pronounced and basically always the same way, so we don’t have to think about “silent h’s”, extra duplications or sudden omissions!

Finns are always ahead when it comes to language

Rest of the world, here’s a pro tip re. silent letters: They are unnecessary.

[Claus_Jeppesen]

I agree, love the dipftongs
And I dont see how the rest of the world can live without 15 cases in their languages

[Mikko_Tuomi]

@Claus_Jeppesen

I agree, love the dipftongs
And I dont see how the rest of the world can live without 15 cases in their languages

Prepositions are overrated!

[Claus_Jeppesen]

Yes but easier to manage for us without SISU

[Otto_Forsberg]

Day 2, pt. II

The beautiful Madeira Wine Institute building is right across the street from H. M. Borges:

After our visit to Borges I wanted to go and visit Oliveiras next, whereas my SO thought one winery visit per day is enough for her. Since our hotel and adega d’Oliveiras were all but neighbors, we decided to go our own ways - she went to spend some time at the hotel spa, I headed to Oliveiras.

The interior of the Oliveiras tasting room was quite different from the other places: a large room surrounded by all kinds of Madeira products (including Frasqueiras ranging from 10 yo to 150 yo) and huge wine casks, with the middle of the room filled with barrels repurposed as tables and chairs:

The whole tasting room is operated by a few somewhat elderly ladies who seem to be doing their work very efficiently, but maybe in not the most courteous manner, at least from the perspective of standard customer service. While I was checking out the wines at the desk, one of them came to me and said “Yes?”. When I told I’d like to taste some wines, she just exclaimed “Sit down!” and disappeared. I sat down at a table in the corner of the tasting room (as the room seemed to fill at random intervals with busloads of tourists who had one or two glasses of the inexpensive 3 yo Madeira). Not soon after, the lady appeared with three bottles and poured me samples, saying “Medium Dry, Medium Sweet, Sweet” and disappearing immediately. Quite a contrast after the fantastic, jovial service at Borges only moments ago!

• NV D'Oliveiras Madeira 5 Years Medium Dry - Portugal, Madeira (31.8.2022)
  100% Tinta Negra made from purchased grapes. After 4-5 days of fermentation, once the wine has reached a "medium dry" level of residual sugar, the must is rectified to approx. 20% ABV with 96% ABV grape spirit to halt the fermentation. The fortified wine is then fined, filtered and aged for a minimum of 90 days in epoxy-lined concrete estufas in which the wine is heated artificially to temperatures ranging from 42 to 43°C (108 to 109 °F). After the estufagem process, the wine is blended into large oak casks. The wine is blended from different casks resulting in a wine that is on average 5 years old. 19% alcohol.
  
  Pale amber color; lighter than the Medium Sweet version. Aromas of caramel, some nutty rancio, a little bit of leather, light sweet smoky tones, a creamy hint of custard and a touch of oat biscuits. The wine feels medium-bodied, somewhat sticky and surprisingly intense flavors of grainy malt, some syrupy notes of molasses, a little bit of caramel, light dried-fruit notes of raisins and dried dates, a hint of smoke and touch of pipe tobacco. Rather high in acidity. The medium-sweet finish is quite intense with a somewhat musty aftertaste of smoke, some dusty notes of earth, a little bit of tobacco, light raisiny tones, a hint of dried dates and a touch of malt.
  
  A decent, but also a slightly rugged blended Madeira lacking a bit in focus and vibrancy. The wine does show good sense of freshness, thanks to its moderately high acidity, but - as seems typical of Tinta Negra - it otherwise falls a bit short on complexity, finesse and vibrancy - especially when compared to the d'Oliveiras 5 yo Medium Sweet that was tasted alongside. Drinkable, but nothing I would buy for myself. Somewhat priced according to its quality at 13,50€.
  (82 points)


• NV D'Oliveiras Madeira 5 Years Medium Sweet - Portugal, Madeira (31.8.2022)
  100% Tinta Negra made from purchased grapes. After 3-4 days of fermentation, once the wine has reached a "medium sweet" level of residual sugar, the must is rectified to approx. 20% ABV with 96% ABV grape spirit to halt the fermentation. The fortified wine is then fined, filtered and aged for a minimum of 90 days in epoxy-lined concrete estufas in which the wine is heated artificially to temperatures ranging from 42 to 43°C (108 to 109 °F). After the estufagem process, the wine is blended into large oak casks. The wine is blended from different casks resulting in a wine that is on average 5 years old. 19% alcohol.
  
  Medium-deep syrupy brown color; darker than the Medium Dry version and lighter than the Sweet version. Sweetish and somewhat restrained nose with aromas of Sultana raisins, some syrupy tones, a little bit of creamy custard character, light leathery tones, a hint of dried dates, a perfumed touch of dried flowers and a whiff of bitter almond oil. The wine is moderately sweet, quite complex and pretty harmonious on the palate with a moderately full body and slightly stewed flavors of prunes and dried dates, some bitter almond oil, light sharp notes of lemony citrus fruits, a little bit of Sultana raisin, a hint of Christmas spices and a touch of burnt sugar bitterness. The wine is surprisingly high in acidity, which keeps the wine wonderfully fresh and structured. The finish is warm, quite long and somewhat sweet with a rather acid-driven aftertaste of lemony marmalade, some apple jam, light peppery tones, a little bit of oxidative nuttiness, a hint of bruised green apple and a salty touch of tangy rancio.
  
  A surprisingly nice, fresh and harmonious blended Madeira that might be a bit simple for a Madeira, but shows good complexity and great sense of purity and freshness for a Tinta Negra-based wine that has gone through the estufagem process. Quite rarely these inexpensive blended Tinta Negras offer anything interesting and I can't really say I'm a fan of the estufagem wines - this process seems to make the wines rather dull and stewed in character compared to wines that are aged only in canteiros. However, despite how this wine was made, this was pretty enjoyable an effort - easily the best bottling in the d'Oliveiras lineup of 5 Years Old wines. Solid value at 13,50€.
  (86 points)


• NV D'Oliveiras Madeira 5 Years Sweet - Portugal, Madeira (31.8.2022)
  100% Tinta Negra made from purchased grapes. After 2-3 days of fermentation the must is rectified to approx. 20% ABV with 96% ABV grape spirit to halt the fermentation. The fortified wine is then fined, filtered and aged for a minimum of 90 days in epoxy-lined concrete estufas in which the wine is heated artificially to temperatures ranging from 42 to 43°C (108 to 109 °F). After the estufagem process, the wine is blended into large oak casks. The wine is blended from different casks resulting in a wine that is on average 5 years old. 19% alcohol.
  
  Deep syrupy brown color; even darker than the 5yo Medium Sweet. The nose feels sweet, perhaps a bit restrained but also quite concentrated with somewhat muddled aromas of syrupy treacle and raisiny dark fruits, some dusty old wood, a little bit of chopped nuts and light stewed notes of cooked dark fruits. The wine feels viscous, very sweet and surprisingly intense on the palate with flavors of raisins and dried dates, evolved volatile notes of balsamico, some dull notes of dried hay, a little bit of Christmas spice, light nutty notes of rancio, a hint of honey-and-oats biscuits and a touch of dried flowers. The rather high acidity keeps the wine in balance despite the rather noticeable sweetness. The finish is sweet, somewhat sticky and a bit dusty with flavors of raisins, some caramel tones, a little bit of dried dates, light balsamic tones, a hint of Christmas spice and a touch of nutty rancio.
  
  A quite pleasant but perhaps a bit muddy and unfocused sweet Madeira - something that seems to be quite typical of blended Tinta Negra Madeiras and wines aged in estufas. This is drinkable and not really bad in any way - the overall feel is actually quite balanced - but the wine doesn't really offer anything that would make me think of buying it. Doesn't really match the depth and vibrancy of the 5yo Medium Sweet version. Priced somewhat according to its quality at 13,50€.
  (84 points)

After some time, but before I had time to go through all of these wines, she returned with two more bottles:

• NV D'Oliveiras Madeira Tinta Negra Aged 20 Years Medium Dry - Portugal, Madeira (31.8.2022)
  100% Tinta Negra made from purchased grapes. Fortified to approx. 20% ABV with 96% ABV grape spirit to halt the fermentation. Unlike the blended d'Oliveiras wines up to 10 Years Old, this is not aged in epoxy-lined concrete estufas, in which the wine is heated artificially to temperatures ranging from 42 to 43°C (108 to 109 °F), but in large oak casks in canteiros. The wine is blended from different casks resulting in a wine that is stylistically at least 20 years old. Bottled in 2021. 20% alcohol.
  
  Very deep and dark amber color with a reddish core. Sweet, complex nose with aromas of old cedar and creamy custard, some raisiny tones and nuances of dried figs, a little bit of maple syrup and molasses, light notes of cigar. oxidative hints of hay and nutty rancio, a touch of leather and a whiff of volatile lift. The wine is very concentrated, slightly oily and almost electric on the body with a medium-to-moderately high acidity and very intense medium-sweet flavors of tart lemony citrus fruits and Granny Smith apple, some apple peel bitterness, a little bit of burned sugar that trail of to slightly smoky tones, light nutty notes of rancio, a hint of quince jam and a touch of steely minerality. The bracing acidity lends tremendous sense of freshness and precision to the wine. The finish is crisp, firm and very intense on the palate with lengthy medium-dry flavors of lemon and quince, some syrupy notes of molasses, a little bit of smoke, light oxidative notes of hay and chopped nuts, a hint of bruised green apple and a touch of grapefruit juice.
  
  A very focused, structured and dead-serious effort for a blended Tinta Negra. This wine is very similar to a Frasqueira wine in quality, but in all likelihood this isn't "just" a generic 20 yo blend - in truth many shippers make their 20 yo blends from old casks of wine which they don't have the necessary documents (either lost or there never was any), which means these casks can't be bottled and sold as Frasqueiras that would fetch big money. Instead they need to be released as "blended wines", ie. in bottles with no vintage designation. Some producers use these barrels to add complexity to their other blends (like 3yo, 5yo, 10yo or 15yo), whereas other producers blend these older barrels together, labeling them as "20 yo", even if the actual blend might consist of wines much older than this. I have no idea how old the wines were that were used in making this wine, but based on the intensity, concentration and power here, there must be some older wines in the mix as well. A rare Tinta Negra that can hold a candle to a Frasqueira Madeira. Great stuff. Well worth its price at 46€.
  (91 points)


• NV D'Oliveiras Madeira Tinta Negra Aged 20 Years Sweet - Portugal, Madeira (31.8.2022)
  100% Tinta Negra made from purchased grapes. Fortified to approx. 20% ABV with 96% ABV grape spirit to halt the fermentation. Unlike the blended d'Oliveiras wines up to 10 Years Old, this is not aged in epoxy-lined concrete estufas, in which the wine is heated artificially to temperatures ranging from 42 to 43°C (108 to 109 °F), but in large oak casks in canteiros. The wine is blended from different casks resulting in a wine that is stylistically at least 20 years old. Bottled in 2022. 20% alcohol.
  
  Deep and dark coppery-red color that turns slightly golden towards the rim. Somewhat restrained, sweetish and quite dark-toned nose with attractive, fine-tuned aromas of raisins, some syrupy notes of treacle, a little bit of mocha, light fragrant notes of nutmeg, a hint of dried dates and a touch of mahogany. The wine feels oily, rich and slightly sticky on the palate with a full body and very intense, sweet flavors of syrupy richness, some tangy lemony notes, a little bit of apple jam, light dried-fruit notes of raisins and dried dates, a hint of caramel and a touch of mocha. The high acidity lends great sense of freshness to the wine, balancing out quite a bit of that sugary sweetness. The finish is sweet, precise and remarkably long with flavors of syrupy molasses, some tangy sharp notes of green apples and lemony citrus fruits, light raisiny tones, a hint of coffee chocolate and a touch of dried dates.
  
  An excellent, complex and harmonious Tinta Negra that is quality-wise getting quite close to young Frasqueiras. Although the wine shows remarkable sense of balance, depth and complexity, it still doesn't reach the quality of the best 20 yo Madeiras made with any of the noble varieties - at best Tinta Negra can make some quite impressive wines, but it still fails a bit short compared to any of the white varieties. Furthermore, tasting these side-by-side, this wine feels a bit less complex and less intense compared to the Medium Dry version of the same wine. I wonder if it's just the level of residual sugar, or if that Medium Dry version was just blended from older wines than this one? Nevertheless, this is a terrific and delicious sweet Madeira, all the same. Priced more or less according to its quality at 42€.
  (89 points)

After I had tasted these wines, the lady came and asked “You like?” I told I enjoyed these wines quite a bit, especially the 20yo Medium Dry was a terrific wine. I also told I had arrived to Madeira because of the wines and had already visited some producers. These seemed to be some kind of magic words, because she said “Wait here.” and went off, only to return with a bottle of 1994 Verdelho Frasqueira. I chuckled in a surprise, but before I could immerse myself fully in this wine, she already returned with another wine. And then another. The other ladies also came asking what I thought of the wines and the place. They just seemed to be genuinely happy somebody actually came here in a genuine interest on the exceptional wines they had!

• 1994 D'Oliveiras Madeira Verdelho - Portugal, Madeira (31.8.2022)
  The wine is made with purchased Verdelho. After 5-6 days of fermentation, the must is rectified to approx. 20% ABV with 96% ABV grape spirit to halt the fermentation. The fortified wine is transferred to old oak casks which are moved to age in Canteiros, ie. in warm warehouses in which the wines age in casks that are never topped up. 20% alcohol. Bottled in 2019, after 25 years of aging.
  
  Deep, slightly reddish amber color with a chestnut-brown hue. The nose feels fascinating, at once having this kind of dusty, dry and vaguely woody patina to it, yet at the same time having quite rich, sweet-toned overtones. There are aromas of creamy custard and peanut butter, some orange marmalade, light smoky tones, a little bit of slivered almonds, a hint of dried dates, an oxidative touch of roasted chestnuts and a whiff of marzipan. The wine feels quite concentrated, firm and incredibly piercing on the palate with a moderately full body and incisive, bracing acidity. There are medium-dry to medium-sweet flavors of caramel, lemony citrus fruits, some bruised Granny Smith apple, light pithy notes of grapefruit bitterness, a little bit of grape juice, a hint of oxidative nuttiness and a concentrated touch of creamy custard character. The racy acidity lends exceptional sense of structure and electric energy to the wine. The finish is crisp, very intense and noticeably drier than compared to the midpalate with very lengthy flavors of lemony citrus fruits, some caramel tones, a little bit of crunchy green apple and apple peel bitterness, light nutty notes of almonds and marzipan, a hint of steely minerality and a sweet touch of dried dates.
  
  An exceptional, precise and very tangy Frasqueira Verdelho that combines wonderfully rather modest levels of residual sugar sweetness and piercing, incisive acidity that is very typical of Madeira - even more so with Sercials and Verdelhos with some age! Although the wine says "Dry", technically it is far from it. However, it's stunning how that racy acidity offsets so much of that sweetness that the wine appears so much drier than it actually is - especially the aftertaste feels remarkably dry and palate-cleansing, even if this is a relatively sweet fortified wine. A beautiful wine where the brisk, lemony and appley qualities of a young Verdelho have not been completely overrun by the aged patina. Lovely stuff indeed and priced pretty much according to its quality at 110€.
  (93 points)


• 1971 D'Oliveiras Madeira Terrantez - Portugal, Madeira (31.8.2022)
  The wine is made with purchased Terrantez grapes. After 4-5 days of fermentation, the must is rectified to approx. 20% ABV with 96% ABV grape spirit to halt the fermentation. The fortified wine is transferred to old oak casks which are moved to age in Canteiros, ie. in warm warehouses in which the wines age in casks that are never topped up. 20% alcohol. Bottled in 2022, after 51 years of aging in casks, labeled as "Medium Dry".
  
  Evolved bronze color with a somewhat reddish coppery hue. Slightly restrained but also wonderfully complex and attractively sweet nose with layered aromas of syrupy richness and white chocolate, even some sweet, volatile nail polish character, some dried-fruit aromas of raisins and dried dates, light caramel notes, a little bit of pipe tobacco, sweet hints of Christmas spices and dried flowers, a touch of cigar and a whiff of dried figs. The wine feels concentrated, very focused and just ridiculously racy on the palate with incredibly piercing, bracing acidity. There are slightly sweet flavors of lemony citrus fruits and key lime, bruised green apple tones, some rich notes of caramel and maple syrup intermingling with evolved creamy custard character, a little bit of dusty mahogany. light sweet nuances of cloudberry jam, a hint of steely minerality and a touch of crunchy quince. Although showing some oxidation, the wine shows relatively little oxidative character, emphasizing just some nutty and caramelized nuances. Although the acidity feels ridiculously high here, the wine still isn't austere or aggressively sharp, thanks to its balanced residual sugar and rich texture concentrated by the age. The finish is very long, zippy and remarkably fresh with intense, piercing flavors of lemony citrus fruits and Granny Smith apple, sweeter nuances of dried dates, some balsamic richness with a tiniest hint of acetic tang, a little bit of apple peel bitterness, light syrupy nuances, a woody hint of mahogany and a touch of crunchy quince.
  
  Just like the last time I tasted the wine five years ago (although that one was from a different lot bottled in 2017), this was just a stunning experience. The acidity here is through the roof, yet still the wine is wonderfully harmonious, rich and textural on the palate with simply exceptional flavor intensity. It's hard to compare these two wines because I have to rely just on my memory, but I felt this wine was even less oxidative than the wine I had tasted previously - and even that one wasn't particularly oxidative for a 46-yo Madeira. Outrageously good stuff. However, this kind of depth and intensity does not come cheap, as the wine costs 290€ today. However, seeing this is such singular stuff, it's nigh impossible to find this kind of wine at any lower prices today...
  (94 points)


• 1968 D'Oliveiras Madeira Boal - Portugal, Madeira (31.8.2022)
  The wine is made with purchased Boal grapes. After 3-4 days of fermentation, the must is rectified to approx. 20% ABV with 96% ABV grape spirit to halt the fermentation. The fortified wine is transferred to old oak casks which are moved to age in Canteiros, ie. in warm warehouses in which the wines age in casks that are never topped up. 20% alcohol. Bottled in 2021, after 53 years of aging in casks, labeled as "Medium Sweet".
  
  Very deep, concentrated and dark mahogany brown color. Brooding, dark-toned and somewhat sweet nose with restrained, layered aromas of caramel and treacle, some raisiny tones, a little bit of dried dates, light smoky notes of cigar, a hint of Christmas spices, a touch of allspice and a whiff of bruised apple. The wine feels sweet, powerful and very intense on the palate with a moderately full body and concentrated flavors of lemony citrus fruits and sharp Granny Smith apple, caramel tones, some sweet nuances of quince jam, a little bit of burnt sugar bitterness, light balsamic undertones, dried-fruit hints of raisins and dried dates and a touch of tobacco. The very high acidity lends great sense of structure and freshness to the wine despite its quite noticeable residual sugar sweetness. The finish is crisp, lively and exceptionally persistent with intense, sweetish flavors of crunchy green apples, some pipe tobacco, a little bit of treacle, light notes of quince jam, a hint of raisiny dark fruits and a touch of burnt sugar bitterness.
  
  An outstanding, remarkably complex and so balanced Boal. The balance between the rather pronounced yet not noticeably high sweetness, the bright and almost lemony acidity and the concentrated yet not particularly heavy body is perfectly on point here. A riveting wine by all accounts. While the wine won't evolve any further from here, it won't fall apart either. Drink now or over the next two centuries. At 300€ this wine doesn't come cheap, but then again, it honestly offers something no other style of wine can.
  (96 points)


• 1904 D'Oliveiras Madeira Boal - Portugal, Madeira (31.8.2022)
  The wine is made with purchased Boal grapes. After 3-4 days of fermentation, the must is rectified to approx. 20% ABV with 96% ABV grape spirit to halt the fermentation. The fortified wine is transferred to old oak casks which are moved to age in Canteiros, ie. in warm warehouses in which the wines age in casks that are never topped up. 20% alcohol. Bottled in 2021, after 114 years of aging in casks, labeled as "Medium Sweet".
  
  Very deep, clear and evolved syrupy-brown color with a reddish hue. The nose feels evolved, sweet and so complex with fine-tuned, nuanced aromas of raisins and dried dates, some pipe tobacco, a little bit of peppery spice, light pruney tones, a hint of dusty mahogany, a touch of maple syrup and a faint whiff of crème brûlée. The wine is so powerful, intense and just ridiculously concentrated on the palate. It is full in body with just otherworldly sense of concentration, yet it crisp, sharp and surprisingly light on its feet - all thanks to its bracing, zippy acidity. There are intense flavors of syrupy richness, dried figs, some butterscotch, a little bit of dried flowers, light notes of pipe tobacco, a hint of burnt sugar bitterness and a touch of lemon juice. The incisive acidity lends tremendous sense of structure, intensity and electric energy to the wine. The finish is sweet, very powerful and unbelievably long with intense flavors of lemon marmalade, caramel and syrupy molasses, some dried dates and raisiny tones, a little bit of smoke, light oxidative notes of nuttiness, a hint of quince jam and a touch of old, dusty mahogany.
  
  An otherworldly Boal. The structure, the intensity, the complexity and depth of flavor - they all are just beyond words here. I can repeatedly say the wine is exceptionally concentrated, but even then I don't think it's just possible to convey the sense of power and intensity one can find here. Oliveiras claims they never "freshen up" their old Madeiras with younger wines (unlike most other producers, who won't admit making this, yet are known to do it), which results in continuously increasing concentration of sugars, acidity, body and flavors as the wine ages and slowly evaporates in the casks in their Canteiros. It's hard to verify the veracity of d'Oliveiras claim, but tasting a wine this intense, it's quite easy to believe that what you're tasting is a wine that has been concentrated for more than a century, which explains the extraordinary complexity, intensity and lasting power. At 1000€ this wine is really expensive stuff, but then again, it's a singular wine - something that has been aged for more than a century and still is fully alive and kicking. Although the wine might not evolve any further from here, there's no hurries with it - it can be drunk now or within the next two to three centuries.
  (98 points)

After these wines the place was starting to close up. I really had no intentions on buying any souvenirs yet, but I checked out the price list just to get something to sip at the hotel. For anyone interest, here are the 2022 price lists:

I went with the 2007 Verdelho Colheita, thanked the lovely ladies for the exceptional tasting (of which they don’t charge a dime!) and returned to the hotel, changing to my swimwear and joining my SO at the rooftop pool:

The overcast sky might look a bit cold, but believe me, it was warm and humid all the time we were in Funchal! I also grabbed a beer from the poolside bar, but wasn’t particularly thrilled by the quality.

• NV Oitava Colina Vila María Blonde Ale - Portugal (31.8.2022)
  A Belgian-style blonde ale from Lisbon. The label is slightly damaged, so I can't make out if the beer is best before June 2022 or June 2023. 5% alcohol.
  
  Slightly hazy lemon-yellow color with a quite large white head. Somewhat lager-like and a bit dull nose with aromas of yeast and lemony citrus fruits, some pilsner-like herby notes of noble hops, a little bit of grassy greenness, light nuances of cardboard and a hint of dull spice. The beer is dry-ish and mellow on the palate with flavors of some yeasty tones, a little bit of herby pilsner-like hops, light grainy malt tones, a hint of hay and a touch of cardboard. The carbonation feels soft and hop bitterness quite modest. The finish is soft and medium in length with flavors of grainy malt, some herby notes of pilsner-like hops, a little bit of cardboard, light bready tones and a hint of grassy hop bitterness.
  
  Meh. A quite mediocre and dull "blonde ale" that tastes more like an underperforming lager that has been just fermented with a top-fermenting yeast. I don't know if the beer is past its prime (as I couldn't read the "best before" part in the label), but this didn't leave a lasting impression. Meh.
  (73 points)

After relaxing a bit in our room after hanging out in the jacuzzi, we headed out and walked around the nearby parts of Funchal, finally getting some dinner and a glass of local still red wine from a nearby restaurant:

• 2018 Barbusano Madeirense Aragonez - Touriga Nacional - Portugal, Madeira, Madeirense (31.8.2022)
  A wine made with a blend of Tempranillo and Touriga Nacional sourced from vineyards in São Vicente, located on the northern shore of Madeira. 13% alcohol.
  
  Translucent and somewhat youthful blackish-red appearance. The nose feels a bit odd and has a slightly home-made wine feel to it, although the overall feel is still pretty vinous. There are somewhat understated aromas of ripe dark fruits and slightly overripe dark berries, some brambly notes of black raspberries, a little bit of gamey meat, light inky tones and a hint of chokeberry jam, a stinky touch of reduction and a whiff of underripe dark fruit. The wine is dry, medium-bodied and somewhat dull on the palate with somewhat mild flavors of fresh forest fruits and borderline underripe dark berries, some inky tones, a little bit of game, light vaguely woody notes, a hint of something toasty and a touch of smoky reduction. The structure relies on the high acidity, although there's a little bit of tannic grip as well, bringing some welcome firmness to the mouthfeel. The finish is dry, woody and quite acid-driven with flavors of astringent chokeberries, some bitter and woody notes of cacao nibs, a little bit of something inky, a hint of ripe dark fruit and a touch of salinity.
  
  This was a bit odd - I've understood that this regular Barbusano Tinto does not see any oak, yet it had a somewhat dull and woody overall feel, which made the wine lack badly in freshness and vibrancy. I wonder if the producer uses oak chips or some other adjuncts, as this didn't really feel like a typical young red wine aged in stainless steel. Although it is certainly possible that this is just how a wine that has been made with Tempranillo and Touriga Nacional grapes that struggle to ripen tastes like - after all, Madeira really isn't prime terroir for these kinds of red varieties that thrive in much warmer climates. All in all, this is a combination of astringent, barely ripe dark berries, some overripe fruit tones and a smack of something dull and woody which might or might not be oak. Wasn't particularly impressed. However, at just 6€ for a glass of wine in a restaurant, the price wasn't particularly prohibitive.
  (79 points)

[Otto_Forsberg]

@Claus_Jeppesen

I agree, love the dipftongs

From what I’ve heard Danish, I’ve understood the whole language is constructed of just diphthongs, triphthong, polyphthongs, megaphthongs and n-phthongs. At least that is how it all sounds like to an untrained ear!